the train ride

four people, four bags, four pillows, and seventeen hours

Zoralee in the Observation Car, observing not so much the scenery
as the rowdy preteen boys with their electronic games

from the mountains to the prairies

The kids (plural -whoa) my mama, and i came by train to north Dakota a few weeks back, Jason and kaladi by station wagon. No Internet yet, but by gum, when we get it, I've got stories and photos galore. This blippet alone is taking forever by iPhone, and blogger won't allow pics from the device (or I don't know how yet).

We'll catch y'all soon!

what we see in Ziah Dwight by day 3

Ziah - light; working; to tremble; a type of grain
Dwight - Mountain of Zeus; devotee of Dionysos (Greek god of fertility); but most importantly, the name of Jason's father and grandfather 

our Ziah Dwight

only cries occasionally and briefly
easily soothable (wow, what a delicious trait)
will have brown eyes, per Papa
will have blue eyes, per Mama
likes to cuddle, have his face close to yours, or somehow be touching
stout little guy - broad shoulders, thick thighs, 2 discernible starts to biceps
likes to eat
quick grower (8 lbs, 13 oz on day 3, which is up 4 oz from birth weight)
has toots of sulphur
at the opposite end of the anxious/mellow spectrum as Zoralee
contemplative and quiet
has Mama's toe and foot style (where Zora has Papa's)
laid back
cutest freckle on top of the head (which, sadly, will be covered by hair most of his life but could make a reappearance in old age)
peaceful to be around

a few pics of our new guy

Ziah Dwight Stoffer

8lbs 9oz. born at home June 11, 2011 at 3:41am

This is Rachel, posting for Lori. She will be posting more pictures, more details, and more awesomeness just as soon as she's more fully rested. Right now, little Ziah is nursing like a champ, loves to lick arms, boobs, and shirts, and has a super melllow and easy-going personality. We have all fallen in love with him already, our little line-backer.

she's here! meet the new addition!

Cruel blog title, I know. And no, there's no baby yet. I'm 41 weeks, and there are starting to be some signs of coming labor. So! Believe you me, there'll be a sincere post or several when he or she makes their grand entrance.

Anyway, since the baby has been taking its sweet time, and since we've been planning to add a dog to the family at our earliest convenience, and since Jason has this precious window of vacation that he could be spending training a dog, we went for it. I think it's a neat full-circle sort of deal that we got this dog at the tail end of this pregnancy, and we had to put down our last one, Beth, in the first trimester of my pregnancy with Zoralee. 

So, who is this delicious goddess of a dog? you may wonder. She's a year old Lab/Shepherd mix from the Humane Society, and we have absolutely fallen for her. We visited her several times before taking her home, and she exhibited more and more of the traits Jason wanted in a family watch dog. We also visited dozens of others, but we kept coming back to Dotty, whose name we are transitioning to Kaladi. We couldn't see sticking with the name Dotty for the next decade but figured a rhyming name would be less confusing for her. Kaladi Brothers Coffee was the local roaster up in Anchorage, so it'll remind us of back home. Dotty Kaladi, as we currently call her, is as dark as the darkest, thickest coffee you could brew (just our style), and her eyes are a delicious brown, the way coffee looks after it has been properly doctored up with Sugar in the Raw and whipping cream. (Oh, yes we do use whipping cream.)

Dotty Kaladi is super duper smart and wants to please. She is sweet and licky, excitable like puppies are, but with a gentleness that reminds us a lot of Beth. Fully house-trained, doesn't chew - I mean, come on! She's a dream boat! We felt comfortable with her background; she was given up strictly due to her owner moving, not behavioral or health problems. Granted, we haven't let her totally roam free with the chickens or cat or baby Bennett yet - we're doing slow, gradual introductions with a long line leash - but she sleeps in our room quite contentedly and shows no aggression toward Zoralee or Molly the Schnauzer. Within a few days, she has caught on to heeling and several other commands, and she acts like we're her long lost family. It's fun being dog-owners again, and we're excited to see how many times she saves our lives from burning buildings and whatnot.  

Zoralee's first force ride

(and by "force," I mean horse, not forced)

Jason had long been anticipating giving Zoralee her first horse ride, which he got to do on Harley, whom he had trained three summers ago, when I was pregnant with Z. All was well for the 10 minute ride around the yard, until the bumpiness apparently bumped the excitement and bravery out of little Z and she broke into tears. Still, it was a beautiful experience to witness, and hopefully she won't remember the ending so much.

things people do while they wait for babies

walk

discover

create

musicify

 

sleep

tend to personal hygiene 

the baldy/shaved lineup: Uncle Jason, doll, a pottying Bennett, and Grandpa Larry

dance

pose

my parents and siblings

play

There's nothing quite as yuppy-ville as watching your kid sip a steamed milk
as she mills around with the other playground children.
(also note Unkin Dave and B on the slide)

- Z's Restaurant -
Bennett and Grandpa Larry are just two in a long line of seven satisfied customers. 

Hi. My name is Vicky, and I'm a riding toy addict.

argue

eat

add ginormous horses to the herd (these 2 are my cousin's Percherons)